GOP: ‘Ridiculous’ benefits for rich could go

On farm subsidies, some Republicans would like to take those cuts a step further. “I think Republicans have to step back and realize the role of government is a safety net,” said Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman, who released a bill with Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar to eliminate the direct subsidies altogether. The two lawmakers are hoping their proposal will be taken up by the supercommittee.

“It’s the symbolism,” said Chaffetz. “There’s room for that in other areas. It’s not going to solve all of our nation’s woes. Where I differ from the president: I don’t believe we’re just one good tax increase away from prosperity in our nation.”

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Of limiting Social Security benefits for upper-income brackets, Chaffetz said: “I think we should do partial means-testing on Social Security. Once you reach the retirement age and you’re accepting the benefit, it’s based on your paying in … if you’re earning more than — I think the threshold is $360,000 — then you probably don’t need half of your Social Security check.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has repeatedly called for means-testing benefits for Social Security and Medicare, adding recently, “If Warren Buffett would like to give up some of his benefits, we’d be happy to talk about it.”

“The larger question is whether we ought to be means-testing a lot of our federal programs,” said Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), another House Budget Committee member. “And I think that the American people believe that their hard-earned taxpayer dollars ought to be going only to those programs that are actually necessary. Any income-based program we need to take a real serious look at whether or not all of them ought not to be means-tested.”

Coburn’s amendments may win support in the Senate, but the proposals to tackle millionaire benefits are not without skeptics — and they aren’t just the Democrats. To some Republicans, the proposals still sound uncomfortably familiar.

“I’ve got to see the bills. So much of it is in the nuance,” said Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, reflecting a popular view within the Republican Conference. “My general feeling is that we need to get away from this class warfare thing.”

Looks like a little light is beginning to shine through but I'm sure those who pledge allegiance to the United States of Norquist will put an end to it. They had a chance to cut subsidies to oil companies that make billions in profits every quarter and they didn't do it. Cutting social security to rich seniors just doesn't measure up even if it does become law.

Why do so many senior vote for republicants and hate Democrats? How can anyone vote again and again against their best interests? How did they get suckered into the teabagger crowd to yell during the health care debate, when most of them are on Medicare to begin with? How do the Democrats ever lose a contest to them?

Hey no way congress is giving up their food stamps! You know how much it cost to maintain 4 house,one wive, 1 mistress, 3 kids, and 6 hookers (not cheap if you want the hookers to keep quite). Stupid laws don't let them suppulment their incomes at least not openly. They would starve without government sups.

There you go - tinker with a few programs that barely affect the rich in the first place (unemployment insurance - ha!), as long as you keep in place the massive tax breaks that really count, and make sure stock options and financial transactions are exempted.

Even if dressed up as fairness for the rich, coming from the GOP this is easily decodes as an attack on programs that mainly benefit the middle class.

“One, it’d play to people’s sense of fairness, that this is just fundamentally wrong,” said Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, a member of the Budget Committee, of the proposal to cut unemployment benefits for the very wealthy. “And second, once you do those things, you really do see the bigger problem is not just a very few wealthy people or a very few abusers — although we ought to deal with those people — it really is basically the systems that aren’t fiscally sustainable.”

Here's the Repub game plan. Cut very little to the rich in unemployment benefits. Then go after everybody else's unemployment, mostly people who vote Democratic.

No unemployment insurance for billionaires? Yeah, this totally makes up for Bush destroying the economy and bankrupting the country with his massive tax cuts and loopholes for millionaires. Are there really people out there stupid enough to vote Republican? Just sickening.

This Congress has proven over and over again to be totally inept and incapable of doing their job. It is time for them to go home permanantly. Oh, and btw, don't forget to leave that fat, big-government, entitement pension on your way out the door.

Why should SS be cut for "rich people' ? Didn't they pay in just like everyone else??

implement a new means test for Social Security, which would reduce benefits

IF we study a smidgen of US History Then we find that "Balance & Fairness" are basic tenets of this experimental Jeffersonian Democracy and the "Caste System" of born at bottom stays at bottom was belied by a "Path to Wealth" -but -

carries with this path to wealth is the social contract of Scriptures ... "...to whom much is given ...much expected" ...

When we "Pay-In" - we are actually paying for workers 20,30,40 Years Older Than we and not for our own benefits which are paid by workers 20,30,40 years our junior .... thus, none can say that because we paid in we should get a certain amount.

A "Means Test" on ALL Entitlements solves the issue via balancing "Need" above "Rights" = (ie You Pay School Taxes but Never Had Kids)

Sidebar: [In the 1970s I was on an Large Estate where the owner was getting huge government checks fr. SS Disability (not that disabled either, She was just no longer on a TV Soap.) and wondered why that 1 person could not live in a modest home, save Tax-payers $ by getting 3000K less, and I never thought that because that Movie Star had paid in She should get 10K more than the Teacher who also paid in.]

Republicans are showing signs of being afraid of the worldwide 99% movement -- and they should be afraid, very afraid! After decades of fighting tooth and nail to redirect our Treasury monies to the richest individuals and biggest corporations, after decades of carving out for them exclusive tax havens and loopholes and subsidies, after decades of trying to take away from the vast majority of Americans to further feather the nests of the richest, Republicans are finally "growing a conscience" and rediscovering a sense of justice. It is far too little that they are offering and way too late to save their hides in 2012, but it is a small step toward Republican sanity and justice after decades of insanity and injustice.

Nickle and dime is exactly right. Do Republicans really think these "concessions" are going to put them back in good grace with the middle class? Just more GOP BS. What's absolutely amazing is that they actually take themselves so seriously and appear to think they're really responding to popular opinion.

How is it possible that these folks, Dems. included, can be so out of touch with the reality the rest of the country is experiencing? They all have to go otherwise we doom ourselves to just more of the same for another four years. JMHO

I have to say that I am tired of the war cry of the 99%. I am part of the 99% and do NOT want to be included in people's rants about what the 99% "deserve". To blame just Democrats or Republicans is naive and to say that Wall Street caused anything all by itself is just ridiculous. To blame Bush and not put any responsibility on Obama is, also, an argument that is getting old. After 3 years in any job, the current job holder bears some responsibility.

Congress may be at an impasse, but it is BOTH sides that are the problem. We have become a society of extremes and if one side doesn't agree with the other then the name calling begins and the other side is "mentally Ill". As a side note for the poster that wrote that - do you have an idea how offensive that is to people that really do suffer from mental illness? Just saying...

History also says that when the government increases taxes OR a government gets free money in the case of a bailout that they do not restructure and cut programs. They continue down the same path and then freak out when the money runs out. The regular American family has to cut back when their income doesn't increase. The government should too. Lastly, people should stop being hypocritical. If you don't like big business or coporations then put your money into credit unions, stop buying your iPods, smart phones, stop going to movies, etc...we contribute to each organizations ability to pay these huge salaries. Then, start holding politicians responsible for their relationships with the 1% - including Barack Obama. He is asking for campaign funds and holding fundraisers with the very people he is telling the 99% to protest against. Doesn't anyone see the hypocrisy in all this?